Warner–Lambert was an American pharmaceutical company.
History
Formerly two separate entities, the first company was started in 1856, when William R. Warner founded a drug store in Philadelphia. Warner went on to invent a tablet coating process gaining him a place in the Smithsonian Institution. William R. Warner and Company Limited acquired several other cosmetics companies in the early 20th century, and was renamed Warner-Hudnut, Inc. in 1950.[1] The second half of the name came from Jordan Wheat Lambert, founder of the Lambert Pharmacal Company of St. Louis,[2] famous for Listerine. The two companies merged in 1955, to form Warner–Lambert.[3]
Over the years, the company expanded through many mergers and acquisitions to become an international competitor in several businesses. In 1956, Warner–Lambert acquired Nepera Chemical (the makers of Anahist) from the Lasdon family, many of whom then became officers and directors of the merged business.[4]